A Hike up Snowy Mountain and Camping with my Stepfather in The Adirondacks
Our next stop was one that I had been looking forward to for months – a visit with my stepfather! He took vacation from work and met us in one of his favorite sections of the Adirondacks near the town of Speculator for a few days of camping, hiking, and relaxing. We set up at Mofffitt Beach Campground on the lovely Sacandaga Lake and spent our first afternoon chatting around the campfire and catching up.
View of Sacandaga Lake from below campsite on Moffitt Beach, New York
Having a beer and catching up around the fire, Moffitt Beach, New York
Love a good campfire, Sacandaga Lake, Moffitt Beach, New York
My two favorite guys sitting around the campfire, Moffitt Beach, New York
The next morning we set out to do the 7+ mile hike up Snowy Mountain near Indian Lake. The trail climbs about 2,000 feet up to the 3,899 foot summit, with 1,300 of those feet gained in the last mile. I have conflicting views on switchbacks (on the one hand, I would gladly take a shorter distance on some hikes, but on the other hand, switchbacks are less fatiguing and make the experience more enjoyable, especially on hikes that are greater than 2,000 – 3,000 feet in elevation gain) but with this trail I would have been in favor of some. Some minor scrambling got us to the top though and provided lovely views over Indian Lake; a few minutes walk along the ridge brought us to the fire tower which then granted us a full 360 degree vista.
Snowy Mountain Trail, Adirondacks, New York
Snowy Mountain Trail, Adirondacks, New York
Toad, Snowy Mountain Trail, Adirondacks, New York
Robert on Snowy Mountain Trail, Adirondacks, New York
Snowy Mountain Trail, Adirondacks, New York
Robert, Tom, and Abby on the last ascent, Snowy Mountain Trail, Adirondacks, New York
Snowy Mountain Trail, Adirondacks, New York
Robert, Tom, and I at top of Snowy Mountain, Adirondacks, New York
Snowy Mountain Trail, Adirondacks, New York
Windy as hell on top of the fire tower, Snowy Mountain, Adirondacks, New York
View from atop the fire tower, Snowy Mountain, Adirondacks, New York
View from atop the fire tower, Snowy Mountain, Adirondacks, New York
Tom and I atop fire tower, Snowy Mountain, Adirondacks, New York
The descent, Snowy Mountain Trail, Adirondacks, New York
Other than our hike and a visit to the Adirondack Museum, which I’ll post about tomorrow, we all really enjoyed relaxing around the fire and chatting. Robert had brought an inflatable kayak with the intention of puttering around the lake and doing some fishing, but it was really nice to just kick back… and so we did. I roasted a bunch of delicious garden zucchini, squash, potatoes, and other veggies on the fire and made some black beans, we walked around a section of the shore of Lake Sacandaga, us three humans drank a few beers, and Abby lounged by the fire: It was perfect.
View from camp on Sacandaga Lake, Moffitt Beach, New York
View from near camp on Sacandaga Lake, Moffitt Beach, New York
Roasting fresh garden veggies and potatoes on the fire, Moffitt Beach, New York
Smoke from the fire not working in our favor – but Robert and I, Moffitt Beach, New York
Not much better over here… Moffitt Beach, New York
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Wow, the views look incredible! How lovely to share the weekend and that spectacular location with family.
Thank you! There are some spectacular views from the peaks of the Adirondacks, Rachel, and I was so happy to be able to share that with my stepfather and Tom.
Gorgeous, cozy, and wonderful! What a special and beautiful time it look like you all had. And I just love seeing the little camp shots too. 🙂 Is it weird for me to say that I am obsessed with meeting you face to face?! Every time I read a comment from your or look at one of your posts, I just feel it so strongly. Does that freak you out?! 😉 xoxo
Thank you! It was such a great few days, Liz and I’m so thankful we all the chance to spend time together. Nope, not freaked out… but flattered. I have come to understand that I am supposed to meet/know certain people and I have always known that I should be following your blog and at least meeting you on the internet. But I’m certain we’ll meet some day in person. xoxo
Gorgeous photos as usual 🙂
Thank you!!
Wow, the views are incredible! Thank you for sharing, Meghan. Now I am definitely putting Adirondacks on my camping list for next year.
Its a lovely area, Oleksandra. I have only been on a few hikes there over the years but my friends highly recommend the High Peaks area. Great camping on the lakes here too.
looks like a fun trip!! 🙂
It was an awesome time, Dana!